- Adelaide Anderson
Dame Adelaide Mary Anderson, DBE (8 April 1863–28 August 1936) was a British
civil servant and labour activist, particularly interested in child labour and conditions inChina . She served as HM Principal Lady Inspector of Factories from 1897 to 1921.Early life and education
Anderson was born in
Melbourne ,Australia to a Scottish family, but was raised inLondon . She was educated at Queen's College inHarley Street and atGirton College, Cambridge , where she studied for the Moral Sciences Tripos and graduated in 1887.Career
She was a lecturer for the
Women's Co-operative Guild and was offering private tuition when, in 1892, she joined the staff of theRoyal Commission on Labour as a clerk. This subsequently led to her appointment in 1894 as one of the first women factory inspectors in theHome Office . She was appointed His Majesty's Principal Lady Inspector of Factories in 1897, dealing with issues of health and safety, working hours and conditions. On her retirement she was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), [LondonGazette |issue=32323 |date=13 May 1921 |startpage=3844] having been appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1918.China
After her retirement from the Home Office, she visited China three times. In 1923–1924 she became a member of the Commission on Child Labour under the auspices of the Municipal Council of the
International Settlement of Shanghai . In 1926 she was a member of the Advisory Committee on the China Indemnity of theForeign Office .In 1931 she served on a mission for the
International Labour Office toNanking , regarding a factory inspectorate for China. She was also a member of the Universities China Committee in London from 1932 to 1936.Other travels
In 1930 she also visited
Egypt to enquire into conditions of child labour. In addition, she travelled toSouth Africa , Australia andNew Zealand . Anderson wrote and lectured widely until her death in 1936.Publications
* "Women in the Factory: An Administrative Adventure, 1893–1921" (1922)
* "Humanity and Labour in China: An Industrial Visit and its Sequel, 1923–1926" (1928)Footnotes
References
*Biography, "
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography "External links
* [http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/genesis/search/$-search-results.cfm?CCODE=1027 Biodata]
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